ScottRyder 

ok, we'll post some photos tomorrow or Sunday when the dust(?) clears .. no matter what, it will be an adventure.

Scott

ScottRyder 

oh, now that will make a dull day bright!

Scott

rootboy 

Been waiting til the last minute hoping against hope that something drastic might change but, no dice. I regret to say I won't be joining you intrepid trio. Hope you guys have a fine ride.

Ed.

The RRA is in the car, fenders ready to be popped on - whether we ride much will depend. I DO have what I think will be quite an interesting surprise. No hints ahead of time.

jimmuller 

Well, dang.

Ooh, I love surprises!

ScottRyder 

It's not how much we ride, it's how much we SAY we we rode.

Out the door in 10 Look forward to meeting you Ed.

Scott

Prowler 

I'll be thinking about you folks at 10:00 (with the sun on my neck and the warm breeze on the SRT. Good luck.

Ed.

Two flats in first 3 miles (not mine, whew). Too wet for me at the 7 plus mile marker so I turned about.

Fun. Nice folks. Glad I brought fenders along!

jimmuller 

Ed., it was sure nice meeting you. Wish you could have run further. I wanted to get a pic of your beautiful 1939 Raleigh. But I fully understand you not wanting to subject it to the aqueous abuse! The aqueous part got wetter before it got drier.

The rest of you missed a great ride! Okay, parts of it were wet and cold. That didn't stop our intrepid band of intrepid bike riders.

The ride started with a group of women coming off the trail as we were assembling. Of course socialization was required, as was pic taking.


Jonwvara, Alex, Clive, me, Ed., ScottRyder, Top506


As we reached the Harwich rotary Top had a flat.


While he was fixing it Scott's rear tire went flat. We got to watch his technique for swapping a sew-up.


The Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans, a favorite stop, especially when you need a hot beverage on a cold wet day.


Someone inside noticed us and brought out some chairs so we could eat out of the rain, a nice gesture.
Scott, Clive, Jon

Clive, Jon, Top, Alex


Back at the rotary on the return.


Back at the trailhead. Some of us have some cleaning up to do. Jon's Dawes

Ed.

It weren't so much the bike, I was getting about as damp as I wanted to get. Call me a wimp.



Back at two-flat circle.

The surprise: I didn't want to show it before we departed as it would mean dragging out my laptop for all to see. I have a film, taken by my Father in 1938, on the street in front of Uncle Henry Holden's bike shop on Berwick St in Melrose.

Thanks for organizing the ride, nice group.

jonwvara 

Whew, long drive back to Vermont. House is cold but have a good fire going--should be warmed up in here by morning.

Thanks, guys, that was a fun ride!

rootboy 

You guys look like a bunch of drowned rats. But you know what else you look like? A bunch of smiling riders. Sort of. :>

Really sorry I couldn't join the group today. But the body just wasn't up to it I'm afraid. Looks like a great time however, despite the flats. I consoled myself with a trip to Plymouth to take a look at a new lighter weight kayak I'm contemplating. But I was thinking about you guys all morning, as I drove through the intermittent rain.

Great report, fellas. I hope to make the next one of these.

jimmuller 

Smiling drowned rats.

ScottRyder 

Great photos Jim, I'll add mine after I get the cobwebs out of my brain!

Scott

pastorbobnlnh 

Despite the cold and rain, I'm still that I was not able to join you. I guess a benefit was that you had the CCRT all to yourselves. No little tikes wobbling on 12" wheels to dodge and weave in between.

At the moment, I'm planning a couple of days in Sandwich mid-week after Memorial Day. Maybe I can at least post a picture of progress at @rootboy's garden.

rootboy 

looking at those pics of yous guys changing tires, Scott, a question comes to mind. Do you think the wet weather had/has anything to do with you getting flats? I've wondered about this, and used to believe so, somewhat, back in the 70's when I rode a lot. But of course, there's no way to tell for sure I guess.

otg 

Glad everyone enjoyed the day, it was a nice gesture for someone to bring chairs outside for you guys. I'll be at the next one, promise.

ScottRyder 

I had so much fun yesterday .. the weather didn't dampen our spirits. I think that young Ukrainian woman with the nice smile helped me a bit! Here's some photos ...

Jim's Centurion added some needed color to the gray day.



Jon was all smiles with his Dawes. He was in search of some hills.



Top, a few bikes in his quiver. He went with the fendered Miyata. Good choice.



Top, giving the clincher change demo.



I would have beat him with my tubular switch off but it got the best of me.



The culprit.





The reprieve for coffee.





"The riders were approaching and the wind began to howl" Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower



Scott

ScottRyder 

The Ed. Show. As in the best in show.









That bike is stunning!

Scott

ScottRyder 

I forgot to mount my fender style flint catchers!! Thats why!

Scott

aixaix 

Much as I missed meeting & riding with you all, one look at that photo of you six bundled up and soaking wet made me realize the rightness of my decision not to join you. My health, bike & marriage might not have survived...

Ed.

Note that it is nearly as found. It's condition is not the result of anything I did but to buy it when offered. I think, other than one tube, one toe strap (but the buckle is original), and the handlebar grips, everything there* is ~ 76 years old.

*Discounting me, of course.

jimmuller 

Scott, love your photos. The tunnel shot came out great! Sort of a "Dr. Who on bikes" episode.

Several paraphrases come to mind.

"Things are not always as they seem."
"Objects in mirror are wetter than they appear."
"Be careful what you wish for."

But aixaix, I would have thought someone whose BF name is in honor of a duck would have no trouble with a few drops.

We really weren't as cold or as wet as it seems. Alex, for example, was wearing a layer of thermals under his jeans, and latex gloves over wool gloves so his hands were toasty. (Smart boy, that MIT senior.) Jon appears saturated but that's only skin-deep, so to speak. Scott and I were wearing biking rain jackets, and I at least was nicely dry inside. Top can withstand anything. It was a good day.

Ed., you should post that video to youtube, perhaps as a private posting viewable only by invitees. My sweetie and I at least would like to see it.

aixaix 

Truly sir, I am a wimp. Shame on me. Instead of pedaling through the cold rain, my wife and I climbed a couple of Catskills and enjoyed better weather; the little rain and sleet we had wasn't a patch on what you guys endured.

Glad you had a good time.

I don't see a weekend we can come up to CC before the summer really gets going, so late September is a better bet.

Is it true you New England types wear a sou'wester in a nor'easter?

jimmuller 

I wouldn't say you're a wimp. I say you have better judgment! Actually, a climb in the Catskills sounds delightful.

Not only that, we can go directly from I95 south onto I93 north by driving straight east. (On a road that everyone here knows is really rt128.)

Don't blame me. I moved here.

Our Septembers tend to fill up. Not sure about this year yet. But we're up for a ride any time we are free.